5 49ers players who could find themselves cut in 2020

While it’s far too soon to make definitive conclusions, the San Francisco 49ers may be forced to part ways with some notable players at some point next year in 2020. Here are five potentially in danger.

The San Francisco 49ers are learning a lot of lessons about themselves in 2019. Amid an 8-1 start to the season and an inside track to secure both the NFC West and potentially the No. 1 overall conference seed in this year’s playoffs, there’s certainly a lot to like about the Niners after two-plus years of reconstruction by head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch.

Shanahan and Lynch have almost always backed up their on-roster players, yet they’ve never shied away from the idea of improving the team however possible.

And while there are many positives about San Francisco this year, there are surely areas in which Shanahan and Lynch could look to make those improvements. Whether or not they come via 2020 free agency, next year’s NFL Draft or by the way of a trade is anyone’s guess. And there are plenty of factors and X-factors weighing in on the decisions the front office will have to make once the calendar turns to a new year.

But for any change or improvement, there’s a player who likely winds up on the outside, looking in.

Case in point, the Niners retained their 2016 first-round draft pick, offensive lineman Joshua Garnett, into his third season under Shanahan despite all kinds of speculation he wasn’t a good fit.

Yet after the 2019 preseason, Garnett was finally let go. It was time to move on.

There are on-roster 49ers players now, who may be in danger of suffering a similar fate. While it’s far too soon to accurately guess for certain, there are reasons why these five players could find themselves let go at some point in 2020 before the regular season kicks off.